Fluffbuff

As I was driving home from our guild meeting — fortunately in good company (thanks Theresa!) — I swear, my tongue and eyeballs were sweating. We had been without AC from 8:30AM to 2:30PM. It is now 4:30PM and the temperature in Glendale, CA, is officially 109° F. I saw people I really wanted to see today and I am glad I did, but I can't imagine wanting to do this again in August. Right now, that prospect is about as appealing as a root canal.

But it was lovely to see people I like and we had new members today, including a lot of guys, which is quite unusual because so far the ratio of men to women in the guild has been very low. Show-and-tell was pretty good, but I forgot to take pictures. I blame the heat.

I had my stranded-color sweater with me hoping to get some advice on how to handle the neckline from more experienced color knitters. I got lucky. Pam invited me to follow her home after the meeting, where she looked at my pattern and then some Alice Starmore books, and gave me just the advice I needed. She also invited me to borrow one of her books: Fair Isle Knitting. I am really excited about it, because the book is hard to find and only available at collectors' prices. Thanks Pam for lending me such a rarity!

At Pam's house I got to meet two adorable Bearded Collies, seen here in front of their own private fan.

I finished the green Antique Patch socks when the camera was in the shop and forgot about them until today. I haven't even washed them yet. Here they are next to a sock in progress that will never be worn, because I worked it too tight. I used the same needle size and yarn thickness as for all my other socks, but my tension turned out completely different working with two colors; it's only 2/3 of what it should be. I also don't have enough yarn for two socks, so this one will be a Christmas sock. For the first time, I made a picot edge instead of the 2/2 rib and I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's finished.

The temperature is now down to 108° F. Hey, things are looking up. Kelvin has found a relatively cool spot and is not relinquishing it.

Although he is changing position from time to time.

Everybody should have ceramic tiles to put their butts against. Hope you are staying cool out there in the rest of the world.

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  The last of the books I bought on Saturday in Little Tokyo is Initial & Monogram. Even though this is a Japanese book, it's entirely inspired by the European tradition of applying initials and monograms to house linens. You won't find any examples of Japanese monograms, either original or adapted. That said, it is a beautiful book with both photographs and charts. All in Japanese, apart from the occasional headline so if you don't speak Japanese, you will at least know that a pillow case is a pillow case and a covered button is, guess what? a covered button!

Judging from the books, magazines and sationery at Kinokuniya, Japan's love affair with all things French is at an all-time high. I started noticing 2-3 years ago that a lot of Japanese stationery had French quotes and now I see a lot of life style books about France. My French is very rusty, but it seems that they are doing a better job at quoting French than English. What's with the funny English in Japanese products and publications? Can't they get native speakers to proofread? I am starting to believe that the occasional English headlines in Japanese books are not for us clueless gaijin, but rather a way of adding flavor to the product for the Japanese audience. Tha would explain the lack of concern with accuracy and translating the only things that don't need translating. In the end, it doesn't matter to me. It'll take more than some funny word choices to dampen my enthusiasm for Japan.

Initial & Monogram
ISBN 4-579-11034-X
84 pages

Kitchen Cloth Collection

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  I love the Aranzi Aronzo books. They have the most adorable patterns for soft toys and small objects.

Kawaii Mochimono (all in Japanese)
by Aranzi Aronzo
ISBN 4-579-11076-5
80 pages

These tissue holders crack me up. If I don't make anything else from this book, I'll have to make one of these.

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My camera is back. Happy dance, happy dance! Nikon received it last Friday and shipped it back to me repaired yesterday. It just got here. At least one of my boys will get a birthday picture. :)

The first thing I was planning to do was to document a cast-on knitting technique that I haven't seen anyone use in the US. I tried to take pictures of myself casting on, but couldn't. I need someone else to take the pictures while I hold the yarn and needle. No way around that. Maybe I'll get some help tomorrow.

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   This book explores systematically several kinds of patterns found in nature and, for each one, provides a good diversity of projects. I only got the book last night and don't know when I'll be able to actually try something from it, but it really seems a great combination of inspiration and patterns: my favorite kind of book.

Knitting Nature
by Norah Gaughan
ISBN 1584794844

Chapter 1: Hexagons
• Introduction
• Asymmetrical Cardigan
• Basalt Tank
• Hex Coat
• Honeycomb Henley
• Snapping Turtle Skirt
• Hex Afghan

Chapter 2: Pentagons
• Introduction
• Sand Dollar Pullover
• Swirled Pentagon Pullover
• Bubble Pullover
• Starfish Shawl
• Pentagon Aran Pullover & Cardigan
• Mosaic Shrug

Chapter 3: Spirals
• Introduction
• Nautilus Poncho
• Spiral Scarf
• Cowl Pullover
• Cable Spral Pullover
• Shell Tank
• Ram's Horn Jacket

Chapter 4: Phyllotaxis
• Introduction
• Diamond Tunic
• Phyllo Yoked Pullover
• Roundabout Leaf Tank
• Phyllotaxis Scarf
• Sunflower Tam

Chapter 5: Fractals
• Introduction
• Branching Aran Guernsey
• Ogee Tunic
• Frost Jacket
• Serpentine Coat
• Coastlike Camisole and Skirt
• Triangle Scarf

Chapter 6: Waves
• Vortex Street Pullover
• Reflection Aran Pullover
• Turbulence U-Neck Pullover
• Target Wave Mittens
• Moiré Skirt
• Droplet Hat

Posted by Francesca at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

  I received this book yesterday, among many other things, from my secret pal in Japan.

Simple zakka and bag of felt wool
Publisher Ondori
ISBN 4-277-43072-4

I have to make these little glass holders. I have two glasses just like these, maybe slightly taller, that I bought a long time ago for Irish coffee. Now I use them for ice cream and the little dress would be nice.

I have to make these coasters, too.

And these little bottle covers. But how do you put them on and take them off, I wonder?

And I certainly have to make these espresso cup holders and saucers, trompe l'oeil little spoons included.

Who would have thought of a felted paperweight? It reminds me of the felted soap my friend Andrea made for Christmas.

This bag will have to wait until Bush is no longer in office.

I am perplexed about the letters; I'll have to check the dictionary to see the Japanese names for these nuts.

Other projects in the book: more bags, baby shoes, pot holders, photo case, tea mat, pouch, circular boxes, bookmark, tray, pen case, flower vase cover, room shoes.

Aside from the title and names of the projects, the book is entirely in Japanese, but the step-by-step instructions have clear photographs and illustrations and if you've felted before, you shouldn't have any problem.

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 Shadow knitting is a form of textural knitting that employs a combination of stockinette and garter stitch in two or more colors. The idea is clever and simple at the same time. When viewed flat with diffused lighting, you only see the colors, but when the knit surface or you or the light move, then you see the texture and the protruding ridges of garter stitch project shadows on the "indented" rows below them, adding to the multidimentional effect. The overall impression is one of shimmering now-you-see-it-now-you-don't that can be subtle to the point of almost invisibility.

The idea of understated beauty has long been a hallmark of Japanese aesthetics so it's not surprising that the first documentation of this technique is found in Japan. At least according to Danish designer Vivian Høxbro who, in the preface to her book, openly credits a Japanese book as the first publisher of patterns that used this knitting technique.

Shadow Knitting
by Vivian Høxbro
ISBN 1931499411

The book that started it all.

Shadow Knitting clearly presents examples and diagrams for a variety of projects and they are all beautiful, but they seem more variations on a theme than distinct design directions. I would have loved to see more design exploration and less execution.

Pot holder.

Chek out Vivian Høxbro's website for other designs and knitting kits. I particularly like Wing Shawl 3.

If these images have wetted your appetite for new projects and you want to design something using this technique, consider that:

• It's where different textures and colors meet that you see a pattern more clearly, so pay particular attention to the edges between areas.
• Part of the optical effect is caused by alternating light and dark colors so if your colors are too close in value — as in light orange and medium orange for instance — the effect may be too subtle.
• Light colors seem to advance and dark colors recede, so you can use this optical illusion to intensify or soften a particular effect.

Have fun!

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Solveig Hisdal, one of the Norwegian designers featured in Norsk Strikkedesign, has her own beautiful book: Poetry in Stitches. And poetry it is.

Poetry in Stitches
by Solveig Hisdal
ISBN 82-517-8435-2

This is the Fair Isle sweater I've been working on since April. Different yarn, different colors, 2/2 rib instead of picot edges, but it's this pattern.

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If you are interested in designing tessellations — from simple repeats to complex representational interlocking patterns — this is the book.

I think my friend Lucia in Reggio Emilia will love this book. She used to make modular origami when I was still making cranes and inflatable frogs. I remember some tinsel Christmas ornaments: still making those, Lucia? Although two-dimensional, I think this book would appeal to her and inspire something creative and unexpected.

Designing Tessellations : The Secrets of Interlocking Patterns
by Jinny Beyer
ISBN 0809228661

Book chapters:

1. What Are Tessellations?
2. An Introduction to Symmetry
3. Designing with Two-Dimensional Symmetries: The First Eleven Symmetry Groups
4. Designing with Two-Dimensional Symmetries: The Last Six Symmetry Groups
5. Designing with Linear Symmetry Groups
6. Experimenting with Symmetry
7. The Keys to Creating Interlocking Tessellations
8. Refining Tessellations: Shape and Color
9. Creating Geometric Tessellations
10. Creating Representational Tessellations
11. Metamorphosis

Categorizing symmetries is an example of the systematic approach to designing patterns throughout the book. It's reassuring to see that it's a system so even intricate designs á la Escher become possible.

While the books caters heavily to quilters (all the photographic examples are of quilts), once you learn how to design patterns, you can apply them to any project. I am thinking Fair Isle. :)

Creating Escher-like representational interlocking patterns

If you make something based on this book, let me know!

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It looks like I am going to have to learn a bit of Norwegian since the last book I bought is not only about Norwegian knitting design, but actually in Norwegian. 320 pages of gloves, mittens and wrist warmers (or pulse warmers as I've seen them called). It's a coffe table book and I meant to scan a few pages, but I gave up after some scanning acrobatics — the book does not fit in my scanner — and subsequent Photoshop surgery to stitch the pieces together. So I snapped a few pictures with the digital camera.

Håndplagg til Bunader og Folkedrakter
(Hand Coverings for National and Folk Costumes)
by Heidi Fossnes
ISBN 82-496-0187-4

Most of the models are sumptuous, with ornate embrodery and beads. Some are quite out there for my taste, looking like giant baroque oven mitts, but there are so many that it's hard not to find something you like. I am not a big mitten fan myself, so I prefer the gloves.

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This is a gorgeous book that I am probably never going to knit anything from, unless I win the lottery, quit web development and become a full-time knitter. Ha! Wouldn't that be nice?

Seriously, though, this is a great inspiration book and I have actually seen the cover model in person last month when I took a color knitting workshop with Linda Marveng at Loop, in London. It was stunning.

Feast your eyes.

Norsk Strikkedesign: A Collection from Norway's Foremost Knitting Designers
by Margaretha Finseth
ISBN 1893063011

Not to worry. In spite of the Norwegian title, the book is entirely in English. Along with the diagrams and instructions, each model comes with a little history on the inspiration that led to it.

If only I had the figure to go with this beauty, I would be really tempted.

Is this adorable or what?

Sorry, no enlargement of the pattern out of consideration for the author.

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A package and a postcard within days of each other. My SP is seriously spoiling me, and I really needed a pick-me-up today. Deadlines colliding, a bunch of minor annoyances, and then to top it off, a three-hour Web outage… and of course me waiting for some urgent files from a client either via email or ftp.

But I went to check the mail and found a postcard from my secret pal in Japan. :) I'll worry about those files later.

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Two knitters' lists I belong to have recently brought up an issue that I would like someone competent to clarify for me (any lawyers who knit out there?). There seems to be a consensus among some laypeople that if a book is out-of-print and unavailable at a reasonable price, then it can be photocopied, even in its entirety. The reason this topic is being hotly debated on knitting lists is the unavailability of certain Alice Starmore books. Works such as Aran Knitting and In the Hebrides have been out-of-print for a while, there doesn't seem to be a plan to reprint them, and only a few copies are available on eBay and specialized bookstores at prices that no one in their right mind would call reasonable. Today, Aran Knitting is listed from $299.85 to $794.95, and In the Hebrides from $337.50 to $1,203.43 (as seen on BookFinder).

While I wait for someone who knows what they are talking about to come to the rescue, I thought I'd look for answers from Stanford University. They ought to know. Here is a quote from the Fair Use section of the Stanford University Libraries website:

• "Copying a complete work from the library collection is prohibited unless the work is not available at a "fair price." This is generally the case when the work is out of print and used copies are not available at a reasonable price." [Italics are mine]

So, how "generally" is generally and what are the exceptions? For one thing, this is all within the library confine. What about me making photocopies of an out-of-print book I own and giving them to friends? I may be overcautious, but I don't automatically assume that what is within a library's rights would be ok for poor little me.

Besides, even for libraries the photocopying right doesn't seem so air-tight. On other websites, I found mention of a couple of factors that might affect them, too. One is the use of the photocopied material: strictly private study, scholarship or research. The other is the age of the work in question: how far along its copyright term is the book?

So many questions, so few answers… One thing's for sure: Fair Use is a very gray area of intellectual property law and I am eager to hear from experts. In the meantime, I doubt that Aran Knitting is up for grabs. Good thing I bought my copy when it was in print.

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Just back from a great weekend in Deer Springs organized by my spinning guild. We were above the clouds, the weather was wonderful and I spent two days doing some of my favorite things with people I like.

Ah, the view!

Our cabin.

Una, our master felter, who gave a great felting workshop on how to make hats and bags. I hope to get pictures of some of the items from other friends who were at the retreat. When I am enjoying myself it's hard to remember to stop to take pictures.

Andrea, spinning in her jammies between coffee and pancakes.

After a painful beginning – I had to frog two weeks' worth of work – I changed pattern and I am now working on a sweater from Poetry in Stitches, although in an entirely different color scheme. I had planned on finishing my Aran sweaters at the retreat, but ended up spending all my time working on my first Fair Isle project. Now, I am very happy I did.

We had been told that there might be a llama shearing during our stay and we could have the fleeces, but in the end it was too cold for that.

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After almost seven years, I finally visited my brother in London. I got back on Easter evening and am still struggling with jetlag. I don't travel well; still waiting for the "beam me up" technology that will free me from the getting there part of travelling. It was great to almost forget about work for ten days, see the family and all that, but I am so happy to be back.

While I was there, I managed to indulge some of my fiber addictions. Took a color-knitting workshop at Loop in Islington and made several visits to Liberty's. In spite of the severe downsizing – they closed down the front building on Regent Street last month – I love the remaining Tudor building and spent some time in the needlepoint and yarn department. Their needlepoint section is amazing; I've never seen that variety of kits anywhere else. Of course, I didn't make it to Erhman Tapestry so I can't compare, but there's nothing like that in Los Angeles. The yarn section is primarily a Rowan-Jaeger affair with negligible representations of a few other brands, but then Rowan and Jaeger are my favorite brands so who's complaining?

I fell in love with Rowan Scottish Tweed 4-ply and bought quite a lot in four colors to make my first Fair Isle sweater, or so I thought. More about that later.

I am still in catching up mode, both on the house and work front, and I am setting up this blog so ta-ta for now.

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